Egg-Embryo Freezing in San Diego

Advanced Vitrification Services

Freezing (or “cryopreservation”) of embryos is a common procedure.
Since multiple eggs (oocytes) are often produced during ovarian stimulation,
on occasion there are more embryos available than are considered appropriate
for transfer to the uterus. These embryos, if viable, can be frozen for
future use. This saves the expense and inconvenience of stimulation to
obtain additional eggs in the future.

The availability of cryopreservation permits patients to transfer fewer
embryos during a fresh cycle, reducing the risk of high-order multiple
gestations (triplets or greater). Other possible reasons for cryopreservation
of embryos include freezing all embryos in the initial cycle to prevent
severe ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), or if a couple were concerned
that their future fertility potential might be reduced due to necessary
medical treatment and would like a backup plan.

Indications to Freeze Embryos:

To reduce the risks of multiple gestation

To preserve fertility potential in the face of certain necessary medical
procedures

To increase the chance of having one or more pregnancies from a single
cycle of ovarian stimulation

To temporarily delay pregnancy and decrease the risks of hyperstimulation
(OHSS- see below) by freezing all embryos

Methods of Cryopreservations

There are several techniques for embryo cryopreservation. Traditional methods
include “slow,” graduated freezing in a computerized setting,
and “rapid” freezing methods, called “vitrification.”
Current techniques deliver a high percentage of viable embryos thawed
after cryopreservation, but there can be no certainty that embryos will
thaw normally, nor be viable enough to divide and eventually implant in
the uterus.

Hanabusa IVF uses vitrification for all of our egg – embryo freezing
procedures. Vitrification, a flash-freezing method honed in Japan, has
been in wide use for years now, and it is generally accepted to be the
safest, most reliable method for freezing eggs/embryos. Part of the reason
why vitrification is so much better than traditional “slow”
freezing methods is that it is not, in fact, freezing in the traditional sense.

In IVF,
vitrification refers to an advanced process of ultra-rapid embryo freezing that turns
eggs/embryos into more of a glass-like structure, which then avoids ice-crystal
formation, common in a traditional slow-freeze. By removing the possibility
of ice-crystal formation, the primary threat to cell-health during a freezing
process is able to be avoided.

Egg-Embryo Freezing

What Our Patients Say About Us

After hours of research about IVF, I found that most websites had a limited
amount of information buried under the same repro center promises and
static websites. Finding Hanabusa IVF's site piqued my interest, though,
and after reading a couple of your blogs, I felt safe. A doctor that spends
time educating, pointing out both the negatives and the positives is both
unique and refreshing. I am so glad I found you and can't wait to meet you!
-JH